Tooting & Mitcham United

Tooting & Mitcham United FC

Ground: Imperial Fields

Capacity: 3,500

Club Founded: 1932

League: Combined Counties League Premier Division South - Step 5/9th Tier (current level)

The Terrors of Tooting & Mitcham United have a proud history, enjoying memorable cup runs and league success, vacating their Sandy Lane home around the turn of the millennium to move into the excellent Imperial Fields venue.

Club History

The Early Years

Tooting & Mitcham United FC was formed in 1932 following the merger of two prominent amateur clubs - Mitcham Wanderers and Tooting Town, after it became clear that the area couldn't support two competitive clubs. The history of the old clubs is of great interest in itself, as they are intrinsically linked.

Mitcham Town FC

Mitcham Town was formed in 1887 as Tooting Graveney FC. They played home games at Figges Marsh, Lonesome, Gorringe Park, and then The Ridgeway. During this period, the club absorbed both Balham St John's FC and Tooting Bee FC, becoming Tooting FC in 1915. 

In 1919, they became Tooting Town and rented two pitches at Tyrell's Poultry Farm before they raised enough money to purchase a home ground of their own. This was achieved in 1922, when Town moved into Sandy Lane and played in the London League.

Mitcham Wanderers FC

Mitcham Wanderers were formed in 1912 and also played in the London League. They played home matches at Cranmer Green. They came close to purchasing a site at Park Place before settling on a plot on Streatham Road, which they bought.

Unity is Strength

On amalgamation, the new club, sometimes nicknamed the 'Half Halfs' but more commonly the 'Terrors', entered the London League and based itself at Sandy Lane. In 1937, they moved to the Athenian League and won the first of several London Senior Cups and Surrey Senior Cups, as well as lifting the league title on a couple of occasions.

Isthmian League Champions

In 1956, the Terrors joined the Isthmian League, winning the title two years later. In the 1958-59 season, the club reached the third round of the FA Cup and were drawn at home to Nottingham Forest. They led two-nil at half-time before their illustrious visitors clawed a draw through an own goal and a controversial penalty. 

Forest won the replay 3-0 and went on to lift the cup later that year against Luton Town at Wembley. The following season, Tooting regained the Isthmian League title. A young Alex Stepney started his career at Sandy Lane before Millwall snapped him up on his way to Manchester United and legendary status.

A Fantastic Cup Season

In the 1975-76 season, United had two great cup runs under the management of Roy Dwight, who, coincidentally, broke his leg playing for Luton in the 1959 FA Cup Final. They reached the later stages of the FA Trophy before going down 1-0 at Scarborough, but they had earlier enjoyed their greatest FA Cup run.

They reached the first round away to Swindon Town, salvaging a draw at The County Ground and then winning the replay 2-1 with Dave Judeman starring. Bradford City ended their heroic run at Valley Parade in the fourth round.

Steady Decline and then a New Home

United were relegated for the first time in their history in 1989. Worse was to come eight years later as they were demoted to the third tier of the Isthmian League. The 2000-01 season brought some long-overdue joy as they lifted the second division title and reached the last eight of the FA Vase before succumbing to eventual winners Taunton Town.

Sandy Lane had gradually decayed as crowds dropped and a solution was sought. In 2002, the club moved to Imperial Fields, which was the former training ground of Crystal Palace. It was a spanking new stadium with a sports complex surrounding it. The Terrors were promoted via the playoffs in 2007-08 back into the top flight of the Isthmian League. 

My drawing of Sandy Lane, team kits, and the former club crest.
Click on the image to enlarge it.

Star player Michail Antonio was snapped up by Reading on a career that would see a full England cap and a move to West Ham United. However, financial and ownership problems caused uncertainty at United. The team was relegated at the end of the 2011-12 season as managers came and went.

Some supporters were angry and became disillusioned and set up their own team, Tooting & Mitcham Wanderers, to play in the Surrey South Eastern Combination. Frank Wilson led the team that lifted the London Senior Cup in 2015-16.

The momentum continued the following season, with the Terrors crowned Isthmian League Division One South champions and returning to the Premier Division. However, their spell lasted just one season before going back down to Division One South Central.

The management duo of Ashley Bosah and Cornelius Nwadialor were appointed to replace Wilson in June 2018, with the team just missing out on a play-off spot. Bosah became the sole boss, remaining in charge until the Terrors were relegated to the Premier Division South of the Combined Counties League at the end of the 2022-23 campaign.

Jamie Byatt came in as manager in 2023, taking his side to the playoffs in 2025-26, while crowds grew and a new chairman was appointed.

My visits

At Sandy Lane

April 1984

I was entering the last few weeks of my college life in Borehamwood, and I decided it was time for a day out visiting a few clubs. It was certainly a better option than the seemingly foreign language being spoken in the mathematics lectures. I had been to several grounds and arrived at Tooting Broadway station, and walked down to Sandy Lane. 

The Main Stand at Sandy Lane

The gate was open, and some players were assembled awaiting travel to a match that evening. The ground was most impressive, but showing signs of age. The large Main Stand had a raised seating area that went nearly the full length of the pitch, with a paddock in front. The rest of the ground had a decent-sized open terracing all the way around it.

Tooting & Mitcham United 1 Wivenhoe Town 0

Isthmian League Division Two - Tuesday 7th March 2000

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I caught the train to Tooting station and walked down past Figges Marsh to Sandy Lane. It was already dark. I arrived with time for a couple of beers in the clubhouse. Despite it not being the most salubrious of hostelries, I really liked it. You could smell the players' liniment through the wall and hear the referee's bell ring to signal that kick-off was approaching. 

The tannoy was also audible, playing the theme tune from 'The Big Match' on ITV. The ground had not changed too much, apart from the fact that sections of terracing on the far side had been fenced off as they were deemed unsafe. The end blocks of seats in the Main Stand had also been removed to satisfy the ground graders that Sandy Lane now had covered terracing!

The Sandy Lane End terrace

The highlight of the evening for me was buying some fine food from the refreshment kiosk at the Sandy Lane End and then seeing the man who served me being pressed into action on the pitch. A linesman was injured and could not continue. After a short delay, the vendor came down the terracing and climbed over the fence in full kit to take over duties. It made my evening!

I returned home by bus and train, having enjoyed my night out and realising it was a last chance to see a game at the magnificent old venue.

At Imperial Fields

Thursday 16th November 2006

I was having a day out groundhopping in South London and Surrey while preparing for my forthcoming trip to watch England play in The Ashes in Australia. I had just had a very nice visit to Carshalton Athletic, where the kind gents had told me that I would be very impressed by Imperial Fields. 

A couple of years earlier, I had got as far as the entrance to the site, only to find a sign saying the game was postponed as the pitch was waterlogged. I tried with some other hoppers to find a way to get to another game to no avail, so I wanted to have a look at the ground. I arrived by tram on a drizzly day, and the gates were locked.  

I got enough of a look through gaps in the fencing to see that my friends at Colston Avenue were spot on. As well as an excellent venue with cover behind the goals and a main stand, the near side had The Hub development at the back of the stand, containing the changing rooms, offices for the club and sports complex, a fitness centre, a clubhouse, and a cafe. 

I went on my way, and after another tram ride, I walked to the home of Croydon Athletic to complete my day.

Tooting & Mitcham United 0 Cray Wanderers 4

Isthmian League Premier Division - Wednesday 28th September 2011

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I decided it was time to see a game at Imperial Fields, and with The Terrors moving home matches to Wednesday evenings to try and attract floating fans, I took the opportunity on a balmy late summer's evening. I had other reasons to make an effort. Mark, a cricketing mate of mine, was a regular, and I had promised to get to a match to have a beer with him. 

Steve Adamson, a good pal and football writer and historian back in Scarborough, had given me a scrapbook full of old Tooting reports. I had originally intended to take it with me, but I forgot it in the rush for the train after an unintentional siesta! I went by tube to Waterloo and then a commuter train to Wimbledon before changing to a tram to Mitcham.

Friendly Locals

On alighting, a local directed me to the ground without prompting. My Scarborough Athletic shirt must have given the game away that I was looking to go to the match. Ten minutes later, I was in the clubhouse as most fans were draining off their beers. I was overjoyed to see handpumps and beer from one of my favourite breweries, Hogs Back, being served. 

I ended up having two pints before kick-off while I chatted to a friendly local who only visited occasionally. His mate's son was appearing for the evening's visitors, while he was a Tottenham fan. It turned out that we were both going to White Hart Lane the following evening for the Europa League clash with Shamrock Rovers.

I went inside and had a bit of a walk around the excellent ground before joining some vociferous home fans behind the goal, including Mark. We had a good catch-up as I chatted to some knowledgeable, friendly, and frustrated home fans. Money was tight, and the playing budget had affected their quality. 

1976 Revisited

They tried hard enough, but the way they ball-watched in defence as Cray went two up before the break was quite alarming. We went back to the bar at half-time, where an older fan, Dave, spotted my Boro shirt and instructed me to join him and his pals at his table. He had earlier sold me my golden goal ticket.

He had gone to the famous Trophy clash in 1976 at Scarborough. He regaled me about the long drive and staying on the seafront in a place where the Rangers club chairman ran and kept them up all night drinking. Could that have been The Lancaster? I remember Tooting brought a good following in the crowd of over 4,000 that day.

My new pal said Scarborough was the coldest place he’d ever been to, so it was probably as well that they'd never played at Mossley! He had to go to the ground the day after the game to see if they’d won the raffle. They ended up taking the wrong slip road and headed up the A1 towards Scotland for ten miles.

We reminisced about the game. Dave remembered the two Dunns playing for us and Jeff Barmby’s winner, which is one of my happiest memories of the old place, as his free kick nearly ripped out the net in the top corner. Dave also supported Spurs, and he only discovered a couple of years ago that Jeff is Nicky Barmby’s dad, so he at least felt better about the defeat. 

Tooting hit the post and bar and had some giants in their team. They reached the FA Cup third round that year. The game was really tight until Bionic’s moment of genius. Dave went to watch us in the final that year against Stafford and the following year against Dagenham. We obviously created a good impression!

Remembering the Past

I told the lads that as we drank, the Athletic Ground was probably still being demolished, which was met with genuine sadness by real football fans. I mentioned just how impressed I was with Imperial Fields. It was also being used by Chelsea Ladies, and the rumour was that AFC Wimbledon were the club looking to move there.

Despite this, everyone to a man in the bar would have swapped it for their old dilapidated but traditional old home at Sandy Lane. As silly as it sounds, they missed the old homely clubhouse under the old stand and now have a sparkling high-roofed breezeblock building with plasma TVs, real ale, and a few souvenirs on the wall. It was sterile, though. It did affect their match day experience.

I appreciate that the blokes were around my age and older, but it did focus my mind to the fact that Boro would have to work hard to make their proposed new home at Weaponness as fans friendly as possible. There were differences of course. Tooting moved from one stadium to another and never had any time in exile. Imperial Fields was probably a bit too big for them. 

Great Night Out

It turned out that I had missed out on the golden goal by two minutes, but Dave had won! There were just two tickets left at kick-off. A Wanderers fan was given the choice, and he picked the wrong one. Dave's pals made sure the cash was spent wisely at the bar! I went for a pie from the stall at the back of the stand run by the supporters. 

The bigger outlet near the entrances appeared to be franchise-run. I returned to my pals behind the goal. Tooting's defence continued to drive their fans mad as Cray's forwards romped through to add another couple of goals. On full time, I jogged back to the tram stop in time to catch the service back to Wimbledon.

I had an absolute top evening out with some proper fans following a dodgy team. I thoroughly recommend it to anyone in South London looking for a game. Be sure to wear your Boro shirt in the clubhouse, and you’ll get a warm welcome! 

Tooting & Mitcham United 0 Hendon 2

Isthmian League Premier Division - Saturday 17th March 2018

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The effects of the ‘Beast from the East’ were still lingering, with further snow having fallen overnight, when I awoke on the Saturday morning. I’d considered several ideas to watch football, as I had the weekend off.

It was very tempting to head somewhere warm, but I was mindful of my trip to Thailand the following week. I had plenty of preparation to do for the Phuket Cricket Week. I wondered about my decision as I went back to bed to cower under the covers.

It's Cold, but a Warm Welcome Awaits at the Alexandra

Tooting seemed confident that the match would take place, so I headed out after a decent breakfast. My plan was to get somewhere near, with a couple of backup plans in place in case my game was postponed at a late stage. It was extremely cold, with a biting wind adding to the chill factor. I needed somewhere warm to take stock, and I had the perfect plan. 

A long overdue visit to see how landlord Mick Dore was getting on at The Alexandra in Wimbledon seemed a good idea. I messaged him and arranged to meet up. It’s always great to bump into old pals, especially those doing well for themselves. Mick had been in the pub trade for many years after leaving Scarborough. He was obviously highly thought of by Young’s Brewery to be given such a quality establishment.

The pub was busy with a good cross-section of punters, enjoying food, beer, and watching the sport on TV. I was introduced to some locals, who were great company for an hour or so. I got a guided tour of the place and was mightily impressed. It was time to brave the cold, so I said goodbye to my pals, new and old, to head back to the station to take the Tram to Mitcham. 

I walked for five minutes to the ground with Hendon director Mike Harte, grabbing a £2 programme before heading to the bar. The weather had put off some of the Hendon support from travelling, and the home fans seemed to be short on numbers. The pint of Bellhaven Grand Slam was in decent enough nick as we chatted before wrapping up and going outside.

Admission was £10, but club secretary Daz Bloor kindly gave me the use of a League pass, so I entered for free. It was a lovely touch, and much appreciated. We congregated on the terracing behind the goal with the wind blowing towards us. Some of the steps were damp, with water freezing on them. The pitch held up well, even with patches of light snow on it. 

Dulwich Hamlet were scheduled to play their ‘home’ game with Worthing at the ground the following day, in a potentially good payday for Tooting. The game was scrappy throughout. Hendon were struggling to find the fluency that was blowing teams away earlier in the season. It was good to see Michael Corcoran return in midfield after a long injury layoff.

Olllie Bennett saw an effort easily saved by Tom Lovelock in the Dons' goal, before Corcoran tried to lob Terrors keeper Matte Pierson from distance. There were plenty of mistakes as the snow fell for lengthy periods. Former Hendon striker Reis Stanislaus was playing for Tooting. He broke through and tried to lob Lovelock, but the stopper made a comfortable save. 

I’d always enjoyed the efforts of the striker in a Hendon shirt, and it was good to see him in action again. I headed to the top of the stand for my pie and tea rather than going for the exotic jerk chicken on sale near the turnstiles. I was given a teamsheet by a friendly home official. I liked Tooting. They had proper traditional football supporters.

Both sides could easily have had penalties awarded, but the referee turned both away, much to the annoyance of the home support. Daniel Clements then saw a shot go across the face of the goal. The United defenders got themselves in trouble trying to play the ball out from the back. It was their undoing just before the break as Josh Walker intercepted a poor pass from Olusanya Fadahunsi. 

He set up Ashley Nathaniel-George to beat a defender and then slot the ball home. We retired to the bar at the break, with England taking a St Patrick’s Day beating from Ireland in the rugby being shown on the TVs The weather was getting even bleaker as we headed to the far end for the second half.

The match continued in a similar vein. There were mistakes aplenty in the terrible conditions. Tooting had plenty of play without really creating too much. The Hendon forwards looked to have left their shooting boots at home. Halfway through the second half, Corcoran was fortunate to receive a straight red card for a cynical and frankly awful challenge as Isaiah Jones broke in a wide position. 

A melee ensued, with the ref just issuing a yellow card. Another followed for retaliation. Several other players were fortunate to get off scot-free. Corcoran had played well, but he was sensibly withdrawn by manager Gary McCann. The home fans were most uncomplimentary as he headed to the bench. Substitute Luke Tingey came close to doubling the lead with a shot that went just wide.

It was 2-0 with eight minutes remaining. A further cock up from the pressurised Terrors defenders led to Matt Ball winning possession. He passed to Zak Joseph, who virtually walked the ball into the net. It was time for me to walk around near the players' tunnel for a rapid getaway. 

It was interesting to see at close hand just how much it mattered to the players and management team, even though Hendon were comfortably ahead. They really did care.

Tooting plugged away until the end, but the resolute Dons' defence stood firm. I walked back to the Tram with amiable Hendon Chairman, Simon Lawrence, soon to be joined by other happy fans heading back across London.

I alighted from the train at Vauxhall, before heading to West Hampstead and walking round to Hampstead Cricket Club to catch up with my friends and to see my godson, Oscar.

A few pints of Guinness were enjoyed in the convivial atmosphere created by the Hockey Club before I headed home to watch Match of the Day, tired but more than content with a good day out. I eventually thawed out thanks to the electric blanket!

Dulwich Hamlet 1 Hendon 1 after extra time; Dulwich won 4-3 on penalties (Monday 7th May 2018) Isthmian League Premier Division Play Off Final (att: 3,321)

To read an account of the playoff final played at Imperial Fields, with the stadium looking at its very best, while Hamlet had been locked out of Champion Hill, please click here.

Tooting Bec 2 Lydd Town 2 - Bec won 4-2 on penalties (Sunday 11th October 2020) FA Vase Second Preliminary Round (att: 174)

Please click here to read about the Terrors' tenants in thrilling FA Vase action and another penalty shoot-out.